(August 6, 1997, an editorial of the Chugoku Shimbun)

Hiroshima commemorated the 52nd anniversary of the atomic bombing. This year, the A-bomb Dome stands with more dignity than before, having the green of camphor trees around on the bank of the Motoyasu River. That dignity comes from the fact that the A-bomb Dome has been designated as a World Heritage site.

On the surface of the black granite, which was placed in the historical-site-zone in the end of the last year, the World Heritage convention symbol and the inscription are carved. The inscription reads that "As a historical witness that conveys the tragedy of suffering the first atomic bomb in human history and as a symbol that vows to faithfully seek the abolition of nuclear weapons and everlasting world peace.

Genbaku Dome(the A-bomb Dome) was added to the World heritage list in accordance with the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage(World Heritage Convention)". It is written both in Japanese and English.

The way to the designation of the A-bomb Dome as an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site began with the preservation movement. A diary of a girl who died in 1960 as a result of the aftereffect of the atomic bombing laid basis on this movement. She wrote in her diary that "Even though my life ends, the A-bomb Dome will carry on my desire for peace as hibakusha(an A-bomb survivor) to the future generation. So please take a good care of it".

Over 1.6 million signatures were collected from all through Japan and the world to the petition movement for the designation of the A-bomb Dome as a World Heritage site. The designation came true and it had lots to do with the appeals of hibakusha in which they, based on their own experiences, repeatedly expressed that nuclear weapons would annihilate the whole planet and all human beings. It could be said that the persuasiveness of their appeals has obtained more gravity as the world political situation has changed and the voices of hibakusha have been accepted more than before as a common perception and understanding of humanity for living in peace in the future generation.

In this context, the A-bomb Dome is not only the heritage for Hiroshima. There is the A-bomb Cenotaph in the Peace Memorial Park. The inscription of the Cenotaph reads, "Let all the souls here rest in peace; For we shall not repeat the evil". Just like the pledge in this inscription, the A-bomb Dome stands for the reflection of mankind who committed a great tragedy unparalleled in the human history. It also stands for a common monument for the peoples of the world to create a peaceful world without nuclear weapons. The importance of the A-bomb Dome as a World Heritage site resides there. Firstly, we would like to share this view with you.

For the past year, we strongly felt that peoples' thinking or the way of living in "the world without nuclear weapons" has gradually become a mainstream of the world.

The International Court of Justice(ICJ) presented the advisory opinion in July 1996 which stated that "A use or threat of nuclear weapons would generally be contrary to the rules of international law". It gave, for the first time internationally, "moral restrain" to the use of nuclear weapons. Following to the advisory opinion of ICJ, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty(CTBT) was adopted at the United Nations General Assembly with majority of vote; 158 countries agreed, 3 disagreed and 5 abstained. There is no doubt that this is an epoch-making achievement in a history of the world politics.

However, we can not help feeling disappointment on the situation afterwards. Following the issuance of the advisory opinion by ICJ, the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly called upon all States to immediately fulfill the obligation, which was shown in the ICJ opinion article F, by commencing multilateral negotiations in 1997 leading to an early conclusion of a nuclear-weapons convention. The contents of this convention are to prohibit the development, production, testing, deployment, stockpiling, transfer, threat or use of nuclear weapons and providing for their elimination.

But the arguments at the UN Disarmament Conference in Geneva last spring did not even reach to a point in dealing with a possibility of concluding a nuclear-weapons convention and it was left up in the air. Since the next UN General Assembly is to be held in September, talks on elimination of nuclear weapons should be the most urgent agenda and it should pave the way for a conclusion of nuclear-weapons convention.

Specific goals to achieve are as follows: a) A total ban of nuclear weapons, b) Banning production of weapons-grade nuclear fission materials(the cut-off treaty), c) Banning the first use of nuclear weapons. These treaties must be concluded, otherwise, we have to continue to live with fears of nuclear weapons.

Another disappointment is the America's subcritical nuclear testing which was willfully conducted on July 3 this year. The United States claims that these tests do not violate the CTBT because they involve no nuclear explosion. However, it does violate the spirit of the CTBT, which aims a total ban of nuclear tests. Such an act will make the treaty meaningless. If this kind of act continues, then, the mutual trust and its framework, which have been constructed among the nations, for the negotiation of nuclear disarmament and the abolition of nuclear weapons will be collapsed.

The U.S. has indicated its intent to conduct five more subcritical nuclear tests. It is certain that an ego of the haves gives a negative influence to some countries like India not to sign the CTBT. Each country should approach to the U.S. government through various channels and persuade her to stop further testing. It is also important to raise the world-wide public opinion against the subcritical testings.

There has been a trend expanding "Nuclear-Free-Zone" as a means of expelling nuclear weapons from the surface of the earth. In March 1997, the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone came into effect following other nuclear-free-zones in Latin America, the South Pacific and Africa. Any of these treaties, among the signed nations, designates the territorial land, sea, air, continental shelves as well as economic waters as a "Nuclear-Free-Zone" and bans the production, possession and testing of nuclear weapons. It also prohibits the deployment and testing of nuclear weapons by other countries. The purpose of these nuclear-free-zone treaties is in accordance with the total abolition of nuclear weapons.

It seems like the Southern Hemisphere has been almost covered. Our next target is to expand a "nuclear-free-zone" in the Northern Hemisphere, where those five nuclear powers are located. The discussion on a realization of the "nuclear-free-zone" in the Central Asia by the nations of the former Soviet Union except Russia, and in the Northeast Asia including Japan and the whole area of the Korean Peninsula has recently begun in the international political arena. In fact, the serious discussion took place in the symposium entitled "A Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Northeast Asia and the Role of Japan", which was held in Hiroshima in last July, to seek a possibility of its materialization.

The idea of a "nuclear-free-zone" basically has the same concept of Japan's three non-nuclear-principle policy, "not to produce, possess or bring in nuclear weapons". Having experienced the horror of the nuclear war, Japan must take a strong initiative to materialize a nuclear-free-zone in the Northeast Asia. In order to do so, we, Japanese, have to solve by ourselves the contradictory position being under "the nuclear umbrella of the United States".

Taking this opportunity of the 52nd anniversary, we shall renew our determination to work hard for world peace and make every effort for a realization of the world without nuclear weapons through various means.